Design Museum announces Attua Aparicio as third winner of annual Ralph Saltzman Prize

^{Photography by Andy Stagg}

The Design Museum announces designer Attua Aparicio as the third recipient of ‘The Ralph Saltzman Prize’. Ralph Saltzman co-founded and was president of Designtex – the leading company in the design and manufacturing of applied materials for the built environment. This annual design award celebrates designers that have set up their own practice in the last five years.

As a commitment to the future of design, the winner will be showcased in a display at the Design Museum and will receive a £5,000 bursary to support their work.

Created by Lisa Saltzman on behalf of the Saltzman Family Foundation, and launched in November 2021, The Ralph Saltzman Prize reflects the Design Museum’s overarching commitment to champion new talent and nurture the development of a vibrant design sector.

This year’s winner will exhibit her work in a free display at the Design Museum running from 1 February until 15 April 2024.

To celebrate the opening of The Ralph Saltzman Prize 2024 display, Attua Aparicio will be In Conversation with Chief Curator Johanna Agerman Ross at the Design Museum on Wednesday 7 March, 18:30 – 21:00. Tickets can be booked here.

The Design Museum announces Attua Aparicio as the third recipient of the prestigious annual award, ‘The Ralph Saltzman Prize’. ​

The annual prize aims to support emerging talent through a bursary and display at the Design Museum. Aparicio succeeds designer Marco Campardo who was the 2023 winner, and product and furniture designer Mac Collins, who was the inaugural prize winner in 2022.

For this year’s competition, five established designers each put forward a designer who is currently making waves in the field of product design. All the emerging designers are trying to point to a new direction for design, either by supporting the green transition, through technical innovation or presenting compelling design ideas. Aparicio was nominated by designer Martino Gamper OBE.

Aparicio is a London-based multidisciplinary artist working in the intersection of design, craft and art. She studied an MA in Design Products at RCA and her practice is driven by material research and experimentation seeking to find new combinations and ways of making. Aparicio is interested in sustainability, material hybridization and tactility. She often collaborates with her sister, artist Saelia Aparicio, and has worked with glass artist Jochen Holz. She also co-founded Silo Studio with Oscar Lessing.

Lisa Saltzman said:

“I created the Ralph Saltzman Prize to celebrate my father’s legacy. My father was an innovator and a pioneer who had a keen eye, great taste and was renowned for his creativity. He was a visionary, and I know he would be proud to be supporting the best emerging design talent through the prize. ​ The Ralph Saltzman Prize is a significant opportunity for young designers to showcase and develop their talent.

“I am delighted that Attua has been selected as the winner of this year’s Prize; her work is imbued with an energy and creativity that I know my father would have loved. Her deft handling of a range of materials results in a visually arresting portfolio of work with sustainability and tactility at its heart.

“It is a pleasure to see Attua as the winner of third iteration of the Ralph Saltzman Prize, and I am proud to help share her work with audiences at the museum.”

Johanna Agerman Ross, Conran Foundation Chief Curator at the Design Museum, comments:

“Attua Aparicio’s exploration of different materials’ properties and manufacturing techniques results in fascinating objects that push our understanding of form and its use to convey emotion and form attachments. While her interest in using waste glass and questioning the notion of waste points to a preoccupation with sustainable practices, her research points to a reinvention of a sustainable aesthetic. Having pursued a number of residencies and research projects in the last five years, this is a really exciting moment to display Attua’s work in the Design Museum and to celebrate her practice with this prestigious award.”

Winner of the prize, Attua Aparicio, said:

“I am extremely grateful to have received the Ralph Saltzman Prize.

Working in the intersection of design, craft and art and being given the opportunity to show my work in the Design Museum makes me appreciate how open and exciting the broader design community is. This prize is a great encouragement to my practice and the future of my work.

I would like to especially thank Martino Gamper for nominating me for this prize and for all the support and encouragement that he has shown through the years. I would also like to thank all the team at the Design Museum for their great support and to Lisa Saltzman for making it all possible.”

Aparicio was nominated for the award by Martino Gamper OBE. Working across disciplines, Gamper engages in a variety of projects from exhibition design, interior design, one-off commissions and the design of mass-produced products for the cutting edge of the international furniture industry. Gamper opened his design studio in London in 2000, where he continues to live and work. In 2023 Gamper was awarded an OBE for services to Design.

The 2024 Shortlisted Designers were:

The nominees were invited to present their work to a selection panel including the museum’s directorate and members of the Curatorial Committee, along with Mr Saltzman’s daughter, Lisa Saltzman.

Ralph Saltzman was a key design figure whose curiosity and collaborative spirit is evident in the legacy of innovation he leaves behind and in Designtex, the company he co-founded and was President of nearly 60 years ago. Designtex's development of sustainable textiles and the partnership that emerged between William McDonough and chemist Michael Braungart won First Prize in the International Design Sense competition at the Design Museum in 2000.

Attua Aparicio’s work will be featured in a free display open to the public from 1 February – 15 April 2024 at the Design Museum.

To celebrate the opening of The Ralph Saltzman Prize 2024 display, Attua Aparicio will be In Conversation with Chief Curator Johanna Agerman Ross at the Design Museum on Wednesday 7 March, 18:30 – 21:00. Tickets can be booked here.

For more information, please visit designmuseum.org.

Notes to Editor

The Ralph Saltzman Prize was created by Lisa Saltzman on behalf of The Saltzman Family Foundation.

Chair of judges: Johanna Agerman Ross – The Conran Foundation Chief Curator, Design Museum

Judges

In attendance: Lisa Saltzman – founder of the Ralph Saltzman Prize

About the Design Museum

The Design Museum is the world’s leading museum devoted to contemporary architecture and design. Its work encompasses all elements of design, including fashion, product and graphic design. Since it opened its doors in 1989 the museum has displayed everything from an AK-47 to high heels designed by Christian Louboutin. It has staged over 100 exhibitions, welcomed over seven million visitors and showcased the work of some of the world’s most celebrated designers and architects including Paul Smith, Zaha Hadid, Jonathan Ive, Frank Gehry, Eileen Gray, Dieter Rams, Margaret Calvert and Yinka Ilori.

On 24 November 2016, the Design Museum relocated to Kensington, west London. John Pawson converted the interior of a 1960s modernist building to create a new home for the Design Museum giving it three times more

space in which to show a wider range of exhibitions and significantly extend its learning programme. Since opening in Kensington in 2016, the Design Museum has hosted major exhibitions including Stanley Kubrick: The Exhibition, Moving to Mars, Amy: Beyond the Stage, Sneakers Unboxed: Studio to Street, Electronic: From Kraftwerk to The Chemical Brothers, Charlotte Perriand: The Modern Life, Football: Designing the Beautiful Game, Waste Age: What can design do?, Ai Weiwei: Making Sense, and The Offbeat Sari.

In 2021, the Design Museum launched Future Observatory, a national programme for design research supporting the UK’s response to the green transition. The three-year programme is coordinated by the Design Museum in partnership with the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), which is part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

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About Designtex:

Ralph Saltzman was a key design figure whose curiosity and collaborative spirit is evident in the legacy of innovation he leaves behind and in Designtex, the company he co-founded and was President of nearly 60 years ago. Designtex's development of sustainable textiles and the partnership that emerged between William McDonough and chemist Michael Braungart won First Prize in the International Design Sense competition at the Design Museum in 2000. ​ 

Designtex is the leading company in the design and manufacturing of applied materials for the built environment. ​ A recognized innovator known for their rigorous and dedicated approach to research and development of textiles and wallcoverings with reduced environmental impact. They share their ongoing insights and efforts toward greater sustainability through open patents and leadership within standard-setting industry organizations to benefit the industry as a whole. 

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